


Colors and Pyramids

by SummerLeighWind (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2015-06-18
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:01:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/SummerLeighWind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of related stories about the relationship of Bill Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Encounter

"So, you haven't seen him?" Bill asked once again.

The boy, Donaghan Tremellet, shook his head and glowered. "I told you the last time you asked me  _fifteen_ minutes ago," he muttered.

"Oooh, aren't you cheeky? Watch who you're talking to, though. I might not care how you talk to me, but others are going to hex you for that attitude, understand?" Bill warned the first year as he lifted his head to scan the fairly crowded common rooms. Walking away from the chastised boy, he muttered to himself, "Where in Merlin's name could that rascal have gotten to?"

A little brunette girl, whom Bill did not know the name of, looked up from her game of Exploding Snaps. Staring at him for a moment as he muttered to himself, she finally asked, "You mean Charlie?"

Looking to her, Bill nodded. "Yeah, him. You know where my brother's gone? He said he wanted me to show him where the Owlery was."

The girl looked to her friend sitting across from her and they leaned in to whisper conspiratorially for a moment before she turned back to him. "He must have forgotten, Alisha thinks, 'cause  _we_ saw him in the library when we were there looking around to see what it was like."

Shaking his head in exasperation, Bill grumbled, "He was able to find the library on his own, but he needs my help with the Owlery? Okay, Charlie, great, Charlie. It's not like I have better things to do than hunt down my little brother!"

Walking away from the now giggling girls, Bill left the Gryffindor common rooms irked and ready to give his brother a piece of his mind. He already had two papers due tomorrow and he'd only been back at school four days! If this was what the year was going to hold for him, he was going to have to go back on his promise to help Charlie out whenever he needed and let his brother figure out Hogwarts's grounds for himself - just as Bill had in his first year.

Entering the library a short time later, Bill was able to pick his brother out easily amongst all the decidedly not first year students. The majority of the first years didn't have much reason to be in the library as they'd yet to get any serious assignments that needed the books available to them there. Not that it stopped all of them, of course, some were rearing to get started on what little work they did have, while others were just interested in exploring what the library held.

Stalking over to the table, he demanded, "Charlie, what are you doing here? I thought you wanted me to show you to the owlery? I do have more important things to do than wait for you, you know!"

Charlie looked away from the girl Bill had just realized his brother was seated with.

"Oh, Bill! Hey, Bill! Bill, you got to meet Tonks, she's a riot!" Charlie laughed, pointing at the girl, a Hufflepuff.

Glancing to her, he nearly jumped at what he saw. Instead of the plain girl she'd been just seconds before, there was a girl with a mane of rainbow hair and a duckbill instead of a nose and mouth.

Gaping, he muttered, "What in the bloody-"

"Bill!" Charlie rebuked, "Don't talk to her like that! It's neat, what she can do. What'd you say you were in Flying class? A Meta-Meta-"

"Metamorphmagus," the girl - Tonks - replied, her duckbill gone and hair brown once more. "Anyway, if you're done asking me questions, can I please get back to trying to find that reference text for Potions? I'm thinking I'll need to go above and beyond on that assignment the professor gave us. He was giving me a stink eye the whole class because I'd copied his nose. Honestly! You think he'd never heard that copying is the highest form of flattery!"

Charlie laughed and Bill found himself grinning too. The girl had spunk and to  _copy_ Snape's nose...She had guts. It was a wonder she wasn't a Gryffindor like them, Bill mused.

"Don't worry about that, Snape hates just about all students that aren't Slytherins," Bill told the girl. "Bill Weasley, by the way," he said giving her his hand.

Taking it with a smile, Tonks shook it, her eyes taking on a blue hue that echoed his own. Briefly, he wondered if she just copied things she liked about people's faces or if she did it subconsciously. "Nymphadora Tonks," she replied. "But don't call me Nymphadora ever! I hate it! Tonks is okay, though," she concluded.

Bill smirked. "Got it Nymph - oh sorry,  _Tonks,_ " he teased.

Narrowing his eyes at him, Tonks grinned back playfully when she realized he was joking before standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I  _really_ do have to get that reference book."

Watching her leave, Bill asked slyly, "So, is she your girlfriend?"

"What?! Bill! We  _just_ met today!"

Laughing at his brother's affront, Bill commented, "What? She's kind of cute, isn't she?"

Watching the flustered Charlie babble about how  _not_ cute his new friend was, Bill was surprised to find he actually had meant it. Tonks  _was_  quite attractive and if his little brother couldn't see it now, Bill bet he would in a few years time. Then, though, Charlie would be competing with a lot of boys for the exotic girl's attention.

Bill was surprised a moment later to find he pictured himself among that crowd.

Reeling himself back in, Bill reminded himself the girl was just that, a  _girl_. She was too young for him and would be still in a couple years time. It was best he leave her to his brother to pursue when he finally noticed how pretty she was.

But, still, Bill wondered if there wouldn't be a day he could ask her out without feeling like was doing something wrong.

 


	2. First Kiss

"Hey, Mum, have you seen-" Bill stopped as he walked into his family's kitchen.

At the table was Tonks, munching on a piece of treacle tart. Grinning in bewilderment at the sight, he greeted her. "Hey, Tonks."

"Hullo!" She smiled back at him, hair taking on a pinkish hue. "Charlie didn't tell me you were home," she said.

Slipping into the seat across from her, Bill carved out his own piece of tart from the dish in the middle of the table as he said, "Yeah, just for the week, though. I have to get back to Egypt for work come Friday."

"Oh, that's too bad. My family and I are going to France tomorrow," the girl sighed. "It'd have been nice to go out or something."

Looking over his brother's friend, Bill couldn't help but note she was really pretty now. She'd grown into her looks since he'd last seen her at his graduation party two years ago. No longer did her lips look too full for her face and it seemed she had found a haircut that suited her natural features as well. He wondered if she was seeing anyone.

"So, what are you here for?" Bill asked as he popped a bite of his mother's cooking in his mouth.

"Charlie," Tonks replied with an amused roll of her eyes. "We're supposed to be going on a date today, but one of the twins played a prank on him and his skin's now green. The last I saw, he was busy trying to catch one of them outside. I'm not sure what he plans to do when he catches one, but I don't think we're going to go anywhere if his skin's still green afterwards." Sighing, Tonks pushed around the treacle tart on her plate and muttered, "Another date a wash."

Bill perked up at her grumbling. "So, this isn't the first date with my brother that's gone badly?" he questioned.

"It's always something," Tonks agreed. "If not the twins, it was a broken arm from falling off his broom or getting stuck babysitting the little ones at the last minute when your mum had to go tend to her Aunt Muriel after she got sick."

Concerned, Bill asked, "When did Great Aunt Muriel get sick? Wait, never mind. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

At Tonk's pointed look, the man knew the answer. Laughing, he waved his fork around and remarked, "Maybe it's the-powers-that-be's way of telling you Charlie and you just aren't meant to be."

"You think?" The girl hummed introspectively, "Hm...You know what, Bill? I think you're right." Getting up, Tonks said, "I think I should go let Charlie know that I don't think what we're trying is working. But, before I go-"

Quickly, Tonks leaned across the table and kissed Bill, catching the corner of his mouth in the process. Eyes fluttering wide for a fraction of a second, the girl played off what he now recognized as bad aim, with a wink. "The next time you're back, write me or something. It'd be fun to get together," she declared. "See you!" and with a wave, the girl was gone.

Touching his lips, Bill stared at Tonk's empty plate. Finally, after a long moment, he grinned and shook his head. He would definitely be writing Tonks the next time he was home from work.

Maybe the next kiss she gave would be actually be aimed for his lips.


	3. First Date

Bill was nervous.

It was a strange feeling for him. Bill rarely ever felt nervous about anything, not about tests in schools, about leaving England for work or even when he was risking his life on breaking very intricate and delicate curses put on tombs in the vast and endless deserts of Egypt. The fact that a  _date_ of all things was making his gut twist and churn amazed him.

"Don't you look nice!" his mum complimented as she slipped into the room.

Frowning at her reflection in his mirror, Bill grumbled, " _Mum_ , can't you knock?"

Her smile fell and a critical look overtook her pleasant features. "Dear me, are you nervous, love? It's Nymphadora, not a blind date."

"Don't let her hear you call her that and I  _know_ ," he sighed.

Reaching for his hair, his mum murmured, "Maybe if you did something with your-"

"No," Bill stated firmly. "Fleur said it made me look handsome, the way I have it."

"You'd think after a breakup like that, you'd  _want_ to change what she liked," Mum remarked as she pursed her lips.

Bill shrugged. "It's not her fault she took the breakup badly, I don't think she's been the one who got dumped before. I mean, you  _saw_ her, Mum, she was absolutely stunning!"

"Then why did you break up with her?"

The man gave his mum a long look. Did she really not know? When he saw her begin to furrow her brows in impatience the longer Bill took to answer, he realized she didn't. Looking back to the mirror, Bill fiddled with the sleeves of his shirt as he said, "You and Ginny hated her. We were getting really serious too, I didn't think it was right to continue dating her knowing that you two were never going to like her, it wasn't fair to Fleur and it wasn't fair to you or Ginny either."

A faint look of surprise overcame his mum's countenance before a warm smile replaced it as she came to stand in front of him. "You are such a sweet boy," his mum cooed. Smoothing his shirt with her hands, she said, "Now, hurry downstairs, Nymphadora's waiting."

"What?!" Bill yelped. "Why didn't you  _say_ so?" and without further ado, Bill hurried out of his room.

-v-v-v-v-v-

Holding hands with Tonks while they strolled muggle London's busy nighttime streets, Bill smiled at her. "You're having fun, right? You're being pretty quiet."

The woman smiled. "I am, don't worry," she replied. "I just...you were really serious with that other girl, Fleur? I know you two just broke up last month and I can't help but wonder I'm just some sort of rebound."

Bill frowned. "Hey, no," he murmured, leaning in to wrap his arm around her and give her a gentle squeeze. "That's not what this is  _at all_. I've always thought you were cute and funny, now, with Fleur out of the picture..."

"You thought to  _finally_ ask?" Tonks finished with a twinkle to her eye.

He nodded. "Yeah, that's it. You believe me, right? It just all happened very...conveniently," Bill explained.

Laughing, the woman swayed closer and gave his hand a squeeze. "I just thought I would make sure, 'cause I like you a lot too and I wanted to know, so I didn't get myself hurt mistaking this for something more than it's supposed to be."

Relieved, Bill pulled her aside and leaned in so close his lips were nearly touching hers. "You know what we should do?" he asked her.

"What?"

Looking around at the glowing signs and young people traipsing about half-sloshed and laughing, Bill imparted, "I think we should head to a club for some fun. I heard a couple of guys talking about one that's nearby that sounds good."

"Wicked," Tonks grinned, turning her hair into a vibrant blue. "Think I'll fit in?" she asked, giving a wink.

Running his hand through her short yellow locks, Bill agreed happily, "Definitely, all the blokes will want to dance with you."

"Aren't you lucky then? All the guys will be wishing they were you."

Bill grinned. "They were wishing they were even before I asked you out," he countered smugly.

This drew a loud, shocked laugh from Tonks. Wrapping her arms around him, she declared, "We're going to be the fun couple everyone wishes they were, aren't we?"

Staring into her dark eyes, Bill swooped in for a fast kiss. "For sure," he confirmed before leading her back into the traffic of London's busy streets.


	4. Meeting the Parents

In a brightly lit, olive and rusty red room surrounded by the spicy smells of curry and fresh scent of hot naan bread. The sound of patrons talking and eating felt especially loud as Bill began to rub his hands up and down his pants. He was a bit nervous, this would be the first time he saw and spoke with Tonk's parents for any extended for any amount of time and he wanted to make sure they liked him for him and not just for the fact he was Tonk's boyfriend.

As he searched avidly for the rest of their dinner party, he was distracted from his task when slim fingers came to wrap around one of his hands. Looking to the woman beside him, Bill frowned.

Smiling, Tonks, dressed prettily in a blue dress, asked, "What, are you nervous? You've met my parents before, you know."

"No I haven't," Bill disagreed. "Well, not  _really._  A quick hello, nice to meet you isn't really meeting someone, is it?"

Tonks shrugged and reached over to kiss his cheek. "I always thought it was," she said. "But, I guess this will be a little different, won't it? You'll be meeting them as my  _boyfriend_."

"Soon to be fiance," Bill murmured as he leaned in to kiss her himself.

The woman smiled widely and turned to lace their fingers together beneath the table. "Mum will be happy, I bet. She's been wanting me to settle down - thinks it'll mean I'll stop going on dangerous missions for the Order."

"No, I realize that won't ever happen. I'm just hoping being  _married_ to someone who you love and care for will make you be more  _careful,_ Nymphadora," Andromeda Tonks broke in as she slipped into the seat across from her daughter.

Jolting with surprise at not having heard or seen their coming, Bill pulled away from his girlfriend to meet the not quite friendly gaze of Tonks's father.

" _Mum_ , don't call me  _Nymphadora,_ I hate it," his girlfriend whined.

Holding back the snicker Bill usually would give when his girlfriend complained about her name, he grinned a tad too broadly at Ted instead. "Erh, hello, sir."

A small smile crept over his features as he put out a hand for the younger man. "No, no, it's  _Ted_ , lad," he corrected.

Relieved to see the smile, Bill gave the fellow his hand and shook it firmly. "It's Nice to finally sit down and meet you properly, Ted," he said.

"Yes, it is," Ted concurred as he stood up briefly to bend over toward his daughter for a quick one-armed hug.

Passing the menus out to the group, Andromeda inquired, "Seeing as you are going to be married soon, do you plan on children right away or do you two want to wait?"

Sputtering on the water she'd just gone to take a sip of, Tonks, eyes large and surprised, exclaimed, " _Mum_! We aren't even officially engaged! We're still waiting for the ring Bill had made to be delivered."

Not letting the subject drop, Andromeda opened her menu and grumbled, "Is it really such a shocking question? Honestly, Nymphadora, Hestia Jones already has a baby and she and her partner aren't even  _married_."

Tonks's face turned an irritated red as she began to point out all the things wrong with her mother's rebuttal. Looking to Ted, Bill asked, "Should I order us a couple pints?"

Nodding, Ted agreed with great relief. "That's an excellent idea - I suspect we'll be here quite a while."

 


	5. Slice of Life

Lounging on the sofa in their new living room with the boxes of their stuff only half-unpacked around them, Bill closed his eyes and sighed in contentment. They'd just finished organizing the kitchen and after a little kip, he was going to bring out the family pictures and nail them on the walls of the narrow room around them.

However, that plan was thrown off course when Tonks began to pace in front of him. Opening his eyes, he looked up to see her muttering to herself with two pieces of colored paper in her grasp and a small notepad tucked in her back pocket. Frowning, he wondered what it was that she was doing.

"Love, what are you doing?" he asked.

Turning around, her lips pursed into a puckered line, she said, "I'm trying to pick between sage green and olive green for the guest bedroom." A look of determination overtaking her face she remarked, "Hey...Bill? How about you tell me which is best?"

Helpless against the unwavering expression his fiance wore, Bill could only sink further into their sofa as he shook his head. "I don't know, they both look good to me?"

Tonks pushed them further into his face. " _No_ , Bill," she grumbled, "You _have_ to pick! I can't!"

"Does it really matter if our guest room is sage green or olive green? They're both green," Bill said.

From the way Tonks hair turned an outrageous orange, Bill quickly realized he was very wrong. Throwing up her hands and dropping the color cards, the woman twirled around and exclaimed, "No, of _course_ it doesn't matter."

Getting up from the sofa, Bill picked the cards off the floor and stared at them. "Why do we have to decide this now, anyway?"

Tonks turned around and with crossed arms, glowered at Bill. "Because, Mum will give me that  _look_ if I don't do something to make the guest room look like I put some effort in it."

Bill sighed and put his arms up in defeat. "Okay, then, how about olive?" he suggested.

Taking the olive green card from his hand, Tonks scrutinized it for a long moment before flinging it over her shoulder. "No, sage is the better green," she declared.

Holding back the urge to roll his eyes, Bill grumbled, "Why'd you ask if you were just going to pick the opposite?"

Writing down the color she wanted on her list, Tonks replied, "It's not that I picked  _against_ your choice, I just made up my mind, is all."

Bill shook his head and flopped onto his back, planning to finally take that nap he was looking forward to when his fiance inquired, "Bill, what curtains do you think would be best for the kitchen? Sheer or coarse?"

Groaning, Bill curled onto his side and complained, "Tell me what you want and I'll just pick the other one, okay?"

"Are you still on that? I  _told_ you I'd just made up my mind while you were picking..."

Preparing himself for the inevitable argument, Bill sat up.

 


	6. Anniversary

Waking, Bill quickly realized he was far from the home he shared with Tonks. It didn't smell like burnt toast and sea air, it was too cold to be his bedroom and the blankets were too rough against his skin. The only thing that was familiar was the feeling of a slender arm draped over his stomach. Attempting to pull himself up into a sitting position, he winced at the dull pain it caused across his body.

Looking at himself and all the bandages, then around the room and finally, to the body attached to the arm, Bill concluded the injuries had come from the battle. Though, he was having a bit of trouble figuring out who'd given them to him; mostly he just recalled a mouth full of pointed teeth and a feeling of shock and fear. He wondered if he'd hit his head at some point during the battle, which, Bill bet he probably had. Feeling it was time to begin his line of questioning about what had happened, he brushed back the short strands of his fiance's hair.

"Tonks," he murmured.

Grunting, her button nose crinkled in that familiar way that alway made Bill want to grin. "Sleepin'" she whined.

Chuffing in amusement, Bill replied, "Yeah, well, I'd like to know how long I've been here."

"Bill?" Tonks asked, eyes open wide now and her mouth a gaping hole of surprise.

Diving in for a kiss despite the way it pulled on his sore muscles, he answered, "Did you fall asleep next to someone else?"

Tears pricking in her eyes, Tonks made a shrill sound that seemed caught between excitement and relief. Her arms shooting out, they clumsily slapped him in the face as they came to wrap around his neck. "Bill!" she cried.

Grimacing, Bill hugged her back gingerly and asked, "So, mind telling me what all happened during the battle and how I ended up here?"

"You don't remember?" Tonks inquired, worried.

Bill shook his head.

Pulling away after another moment, Tonks settled close to him; ensuring that they were arm to arm and hip to hip. "Well," she began. "It's sort of a long story. You remember why we were at Hogwarts, though, right?"

"Yeah, Death Eaters," he answered.

She gave a sigh of relief. "Fenrir Greyback surprised you," she explained. "He attacked you very badly and we're...waiting. He wasn't a werewolf when he attacked, but no one's sure what affect him attacking you like he did will have either."

"Tonks, what is today?"

She gave him a strange look. "July first," she answered.

"You know what sucks?" Bill asked.

Tonks quirked an eyebrow, "Not knowing what kind of wolfish tendencies you're going to have?"

"Yes, but that's not what sucks right now," he answered easily. "What sucks is that I doubt I'll be out of here by the end of the week. And the anniversary of our first date is on the third."

The woman's face twisted between disbelief and amusement. "Oh, Bill..." She giggle for a moment, but then it turned into tears and loud, hiccuping sobs.

Bringing her close, he rocked back and forth with her for a while. When she started to calm down, he kissed her temple and said, "If you don't want to be with me anymore, I get it. Lycanthropy - even in its mildest forms is pretty scary stuff."

She slapped him.

Flinching at the sting, he met her very angry and dark gaze. "Don't you dare  _say_ that," she hissed. "I would  _never_ leave you for something as petty as some werewolf traits! Merlin, you've  _talked_ to Remus, haven't you? He's a sweetheart  _and_ a full werewolf. I'm proud to call him a dear friend, despite his unfortunate problem. The fact you've been inflicted with a milder version does not change the fact I love you and it doesn't change the fact I want to be with you!"

Cupping her cheek, Bill ran his thumb along her bottom lip. "How'd I ever get such an amazing girl?"

"I lowered my standards," Tonks joked.

Giving a quiet laugh, he leaned in and connected their lips for a slow and tender kiss. Pulling away, he whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too, Bill," she smiled.

Two days later, on their anniversary, Bill figured out how to sneak them out of St. Mungo's for a couple hours and took Tonks to a green knoll by his childhood home and there, they had a picnic beneath the blue sky.

 


	7. Wedding

Putting down his book at the sound of a shriek followed by a thud in the other room, Bill got up from the sofa and walked over to the closed door of his and Tonks's bedroom. Hand on the knob, he paused. Turning his head, he put his ear to the hollow wood and listened carefully. It sounded like someone was... _crying_.Was  _Tonks_  crying?

Turning the knob quickly, he threw open the door to see his fiancee sobbing at the foot of their bed. "Tonks?" he whispered.

Looking up from her hands, Bill came to truly understand why people would ask someone who was sad why they were "looking blue". From her hair to the tinge of her skin, Tonks was blue. Her hair a deep navy, her eyes cerulean and her skin the palest of blues that almost looked like she'd spent several hours out in the cold.

"Oh, Dora..." he murmured. Not waiting a moment longer, Bill hurried over and wrapped her up in a hug. Swaying back and forth with her for several minutes, he finally asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

Her fingers digging into his shoulders, Tonks shook her head against his chest. "Merlin, you're going to think I'm right mental after I tell you..."

"Of course I won't, love. It's not like you to cry like this," Bill disagreed as he pressed a kiss onto the shell of her ear.

Taking a large, shuddering breath, Tonks pulled away. The blue parlor gone from her skin, his fiancee was once again a healthy pink as she replied, "It's my mother, my friends Hestia and Ally and your mother too - but just a bit, Bill."

"Go on," he urged.

Looking away, she explained, "My mum keeps vetoing all my wedding ideas, because she wants me to have a traditional wedding, like the one she never had, my friends keep asking about the color theme of the wedding and bothering me about when we should go shopping for all our dresses. As for you mother, Bill, she has to be the best out of the four, but she keeps  _adding_ people to the guest list! I can't  _take_ it anymore! I just wanted a small wedding with close family and friends. I wanted our wedding out here on the beach where I could wear sandals, and a dress I wouldn't  _trip_ on!"

Having listened intently to what his fiancee had said, Bill asked her, "What if I could give you all of that? And today, too?"

"How would you do that, Bill?"

Grinning, Bill leaned in very close and whispered, "You tell Hestia and Ally to put on their favorite dresses and come over. I'll stop by the Burrow and grab my best man, Charlie, and my other siblings, if they're around, and then I'll stop by the church where the cleric we want is and ask him to come be the officiant."

"Who's going to tell our parents later?" Tonks questioned suspiciously.

Bill sighed. "I will," he answered with a resigned air. They were going to really try and kill him for usurping the wedding from them, but it'd be worth it, if it made his fiancee happy.

Smiling, Tonks pressed a kiss to his lips. "Okay," she agreed.

"Really?"

Laughing, she shoved him away and said, "Yes! Now hurry! I want to be married before the sun's down!"

Chuckling himself, Bill got up. "Got it," he replied and with a grin, he was gone.

-v-v-v-v-v-

"And you may now kiss the bride," the cleric declared.

Smiling at his newly minted wife, Bill dipped down to catch her lips in a kiss. Tonks wound her arms around his neck and deepened it into something much more intimate as Bill's siblings, Charlie and Ginny, whistled and catcalled in the background.

Pulling away from Tonks after another moment, Bill tossed Ginny and Charlie a grin before he swept his wife off her feet, and carried her into the ocean's water.

"Bill! Bill! What are you doing?" she demanded as her fingernails dug into the back of his neck.

Smiling at her, he told her, "I'm starting the party." And with that, he tossed her into the ocean's blue waves.

Screaming as she splashed into the water, Tonks came bounding out a moment later with a look of mischief in her eyes. But, before Bill could ask her what she was planning, he was being shoved into the shallow waves from behind.

Twisting around as he fell, he managed to grab the arm of the one who shoved him, and dragged him down into the water with him. As they surfaced seconds later, Bill gave into uproarious laughter when he realized it'd been Charlie who'd pushed him.

No more than a minute later, the two were being splashed from all sides. Raising his arms, Bill squinted his eyes and caught glimpses of varying hues of purples and pinks. It seemed the girls had joined them in the water. Going back to back with Charlie, they both dove outward, dragging the woman they caught under the water as they shrieked and screamed.

Later, when their wedding party returned to the sand of the beach, Bill crawled over to where Tonks was sprawled out panting. "So," he started, "Was that the kind of wedding you wanted?"

Turning her head, she grinned. "It was perfect," she replied.


	8. First Child

Smiling as his daughter was handed up to him, Bill gave a pleased laugh as her hair shifted from a dull brown to a icy white. "Look at that," he whispered. "She's just like her Mummy."

Straightening up in bed a little, Tonks craned her neck to stare into the baby's face. "Maybe, but she's already got her daddy's lips," she replied.

Bill grinned at her. "Memorized my face, have you?" he teased.

"Damn near," Tonks agreed with a smirk of her own.

Having just entered the room, Andromeda gave a small gasp. "Nymphadora! Don't swear in front of your daughter! She's not even four hours old!" she scolded.

Rocking his daughter as she began to whimper, Bill reached out with his other hand to lend his wife a soothing touch upon her shoulder. Looking to him, Tonks's previously ugly expression softened into something a little less angry and a little more deadly. "Like she's going to  _remember_ , Mum. It's just like you said, she's  _four hours old_."

"Well!" Andromeda grumbled.

Giving Tonks a small smile, Bill asked, "So, Dora, do you have any thoughts on what we should name our girl?"

"I was hoping for a boy," she admitted hesitantly. "That way we could...you know, name him after Dad."

Thinking of his dead Father-in-Law, Bill realized it wasn't only him that had been weighed down suddenly with dark thoughts. Acting quickly, Bill offered, "How about Edie? It's not exactly Edward - or even Ted - but, it's in the same vein."

"Edith!" Andromeda proclaimed with a sharp glare. "You will not give my granddaughter a  _moniker_ for a name!"

Rolling her eyes, Tonks made a grabbing motion for her daughter and Bill was happy to oblige her. A moment later, when their daughter was safely in her hands, she smiled. Running a finger down the fat cheeks of their daughter, she said, "Edith Willa Weasley. That has a ring to it, doesn't it?"

Gingerly taking a seat beside his wife and daughter, Bill nodded. "It has a lovely ring."

Coming close, Andromeda hovered over her child and grandchild from the other side of the bed. "That is a very pretty name," she conceded.

Eyes shining, his wife leaned over to press a grateful kiss on her mother's cheek. "Thanks, Mum. I'm happy you like it."

"So am I," Andromeda replied in a wry way that drew laughter from Tonks.

Smiling at the three, Bill felt he'd never been happier.


	9. Family Outing

His daughter's loud wails a soundtrack to his own sorrows, Bill did not move from where he had laid down himself down on his childhood bed two hours earlier. Bill's bedroom door clattering open a moment later, there was a loud sigh followed by the heavy footstep of his mum.

"William Weasley,  _get up_! Do  _not_ ignore your daughter!" she ordered as his daughter's cries died down to pitiful whimper.

Not even moving to acknowledge his mum's presence, Bill only stared more intently at the opposite wall of his bedroom. If he shifted his gaze left, he knew he'd see the corner of the blue and white frame that held the last picture they'd gotten of their small family before-

Sucking in air hard, he started to shudder. To muffle his sobs, he brought his hands over his mouth and curled inward on himself. His mum walked over and combed her hand through his hair. "If I get Edie's bottle and give you a moment, when I come back will you sit up and feed her Bill? Please? She's missing her mummy just as much you are missing your wife and it won't help Edie any if she thinks her daddy's gone too."

Even as hot tears ran over his hands, Bill nodded. He could do that, he thought. He was still exhausted and it would still hurt to hold her, but he could handle that he believed - if only for Edie's sake. His mum was right about Edie needing to know he wasn't gone like her mummy, after all.

When he heard his mum leave his bedroom, Bill dried up his tears and pushed himself up. It gave him a swimmy feeling, to sit up after the position he'd been laid down in, but it was better than nausea he usually got. Settling himself up against the wall, he gave a tired sigh and rubbed at his eyes.

It had been a month since the final battle. A month since the light one. A month since Fred died. A month since Tonks died. A month since he became a widower. A month since his daughter became motherless.

"Ah, good," his mum acknowledged with a small smile as she came back into the room. "Are you ready for her, Bill?" she asked kindly.

Nodding, he held out his arms for Edie, who was already suckling away at her bottle. "Yes, give me my girl," he whispered.

Coming over, Bill's mum took her spit-up rag from her shoulder and draped it over his and then handed down his daughter, who's hair was a light red that fit in splendidly with the shades of reds the rest of their family boasted atop their own heads. Staring at them a moment, his mum went to the rocking chair by his daughter's cradle and dragged it over to sit across from him.

"It's amazing how quickly they grow, isn't it?" she asked Bill quietly.

Grunting his agreement as he shifted Edie a little, he said, "What's amazing is the fact she keeps her hair red almost all the time these days."

His mum gave a quiet sigh. "What do you expect, Bill? Besides Andromeda, and occasionally Harry or Hermione, all she sees is redheads."

"Maybe we'll go for a walk through Hogsmeade soon, then," he muttered as he shifted Edie to his shoulder to begin burping her.

Reaching over, Bill's mum gave his knee a squeeze. "I bet that would be lovely. Maybe you could take Andromeda with you? I think getting her out of her home would do her some good - especially if she'll get to see her granddaughter in the process."

"I can ask," he conceded. "I don't know if she'll accept my invitation. It's not like she wanted to go on that picnic we went on about a week before the battle. She thought we were all being idiots going out like that in the open with a three week old baby..."

His mum made a scoffing noise. "You took her over the hill from the Burrow, you were never so far that the three of you couldn't get bak safely," she muttered."

Tickling his daughter's chin as he brought her back down from his shoulder, he cracked a grin when he saw Edie was smiling at him. "Aren't you a good baby?" he cooed.

"That she is," his mum agreed. A moment of silence later, she remarked, "I'm surprised you keep the picture from the picnic so close to you. George has turned over every picture in the house that has..." she trailed off, voice taking on a wobbly tone.

Bill glanced to the photo beside his bed and then looked away quickly. "I want it there for Edie," he admitted. "It's not a great picture of Dora, but it's one of all of us, and I want her to see her mum happy with both of us when she opens her eyes in the morning."

"That's a lovely thing to want," his mum whispered. Leaning forward, she gently extracted his daughter from his arms and murmured, "It looks like she'll be taking a little nap now. If you want some tea, Bill, there's some in the kitchen."

Watching Mum lay his daughter down in her cradle, the man said, "Thanks, I'll be down in a bit for it."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed in a loud whisper, a smile like the sun coming out after the rain appearing on her face.

Quirking his own lips in response, Bill watched her leave. Once she was gone, he couldn't help the masochist side of him that pulled his gaze back to the picture on his nightstand.

Picking it up, he remembered the moments leading up to the photo.

_"Bill! Tonks! Look this way!" Dad called as he waved one arm around crazily and held the camera with his other._

_Laughing, Bill reached for his wife's hand. "Just a second, Dad!" he called. "So, are you glad we did this, Dora?"_

_"Yeah..." she replied, her eyes roving around and taking in what the rest of their family was doing. Their mums were chatting a little ways away as they took a small stroll, and Charlie and the twins were throwing around a Fanged Frisbee close by. Leaning in close, her dark eyes shining, Tonks connected their lips for a kiss. "Yeah, I'm glad we're doing this," she said. "I know Edie won't remember it, but if we smile at the camera like your dad's yelling at us too, she'll have that to look at. It'll be a nice little story about how light can be found in even the darkest of times, don't you think?"_

_Bill rolled his eyes. "The hormones have made you really cheesy, do you know that?"_

_"Oh, stop!" Tonks laughed, giving him a little shove as Bill smirked._

_The flash of a camera's light blinded them briefly and when they looked back over to Bill's dad, they saw him grinning smugly as he waved around the picture he'd just taken._

_"You two took long enough to smile," he remarked._

_Beckoning him forward, Bill took the photo from his dad's unresisting fingers and bent his head in close with Tonks to study it. "Quaint, isn't it?" he asked._

_"We're framing this one, when we get back to the Burrow," Tonks declared as she took the picture from him and tucked it into her shirt. "It's too lovely not too - isn't that right, Edie-sweetie?" she murmured at their daughter._

_Edie had nothing to say to that, but she reached out from her blankets, feebly attempting to grab at her mother's nose; eliciting one of the most beautiful laughs Bill had ever heard his wife utter._


	10. First Grandchild

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading this through, I appreciate all the kudos I've gotten and I hope you all enjoyed this :)

"Nymphadora!" Bill exclaimed as he walked into the shadowed kitchen of his daughter's home.

Looking toward him from the counter, where she was seated cross-legged in only her nightie, his first, and only, granddaughter grinned. "Hi, Grandpa!" she exclaimed as she started to clamber down from the high surface.

Hurrying over, the man helped guide her down. "What are you doing in here?" he asked her.

"I was thirsty and then, Grandma was here and we started talking," she explained.

Bill furrowed his brow. "...Grandma?" he repeated. That didn't seem right, Bill thought, his wife, Fleur, and Nymphadora's step-grandmother, had been fast asleep in the guest bed beside him down the hall when he'd gotten up to get a drink.

Bobbing her head happily, the little girl pointed to the chair at the breakfast table. "Yeah! I came in 'cause I was thirsty and kinda wanted to find my Halloween candy, that I  _know_ Mummy hid somewhere in the cupboards and then, I saw her sitting at the table! I didn't really know who she was at first, but then she turned her face into a duckbill, like Mummy does, when she's being funny, and I knew she was Grandma!"

His heart skipped a beat. "You were talking to Grandma  _Nymphadora_?" he asked.

"Don't call her that!" the little girl scolded with a crinkled nose. "She doesn't like being called that, she's Grandma Tonks."

Bill gave a half-crazed laugh. As far as he knew, no one in their family had told Nymphadora her namesake hadn't liked her name. It'd seemed sort of mean to tell her the last person who'd had her name hadn't like it. Edie had worried Nymphadora would think they didn't like  _her,_ if they told her. They were planning to, in the future, of course. But, for now, it seemed better to just not mention it. After all, Bill and Edie loved the name - even if Tonks herself hated it.

"Okay, Grandma  _Tonks_ ," Bill agreed. "Where is she now?"

The little girl shrugged. "Dunno, when you came in, she disappeared. Grandpa Bill? How come I haven't met Grandma Tonks till now?"

"Erh..." Bill mumbled as he scooped her up in his arms. A few minutes later, as he was tucking Nymphadora into her bed, he finally told her, "You haven't met her before because she lives far, far away."

Yawning, the little girl smiled up at him in such a way that Bill was instantly reminded of Nymphadora's namesake. "Oh, that makes sense," she mumbled. "Grandpa Bill? If you see her, tell her I said it was nice talkin' to her, okay?"

"Of course, sweetie," he whispered as he bent down to kiss her brow.

When he was sure she was asleep, Bill slipped out of his granddaughter's bedroom and went back to the kitchen. Taking the seat across from the one Nymphadora had indicated Tonks had been seated in, he asked, "Isn't she perfect? She reminds me a lot of you, you know?"

A moment later, when he closed his eyes, because he felt a bit like an idiot; Bill was surprised when he felt a warmth against his cheek. Opening his eyes, he touched his cheek and stared at the empty seat across from in amazement.

It'd felt like a kiss.

Grinning, Bill whispered, "I love you, Tonks."

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Battleships event on Diagon Alley II forum on FF.net.
> 
> Thank you for reading and please leave a comment and/or kudo!


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